Spring suspension for motor-vehicles.



W. 53. AUSTIN.

SPRING SUSPENSION FUR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10. mm

.hvuem fw siding WALTER S. AUSTIN, UT annn'n 1113s, rrronraan.

srnrne snsrnnsron' rennon-ventures,

nearer" Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 10, 191d. terial If 0. cant. i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, WALTER d. AUSTIN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, re-

at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring Suspensions forMotor-Vehicles; and 1 do hereby declare the following tobe a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers shlled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to a spring suspension for vehicles especiallyautomobiles. It is an object and purpose of the present invention torovide a device of this character which, whi c it makes possible easierriding in automobiles, at the same time eliminates side sway of the bodyand permits doing away with torsion rods or the like in the vehicle.Furthermore a construction is r0- vided in which a double spring is useat each side of the vehicle body so that should one of the springsbecome broken or otherwise useless the vehicle can still be operated byexercising proper care; Where with one single spring its breakage wouldserve to make operation of the vehicle practically impossible. Manyother objects and purposes than those enumerated together with novelconstructions for attaining the same will appear as understanding is badof the embodiment of my invention shown in the accompanying drawing inwhich;

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view showing the connections of thesprings to the frame and brake flange of the vehicle.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the rear part of an automobile equipped with myinvention, the wheel thereof being shown in dotted lines.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the several views ofthe drawing.

The side frame members of the automobile indicated at 1 support thevehicle in the usual manner, the wheels each having a brake drum 3housing a brake flange 5 at the ends of the axle housing 6. This is acommon construction in automobiles and forms no part of the presentinvention, such parts being shown merely to indicate the manner in whichmy spring suspension is applied thereto.

The plate 7 is fired to each frame member and projects below the loweredge of said frame member serving as a support for links 8 and 9pivotally mounted on and suspended from outwardly projecting studs 10and 11 respectively. At substantially diametrically opposed points aboveand below the axle housing 6 studs 12 project inwardly from the brakeflange 5. Upward and lower leaf springs 18 and 14 are interposed betweenthe upper and lower studs 12 and the lower ends of links 8 and 9respectively, the rear ends of these springs being secured to the studs12 while the forward ends of the springs are attached to pins at thelower ends of links 8 and 9..

Substantially midway between the ends of springs 13 and 14 a plate 15 ispositioned and is rigidly attached to the side frame member 1.. A pin 16projects from the frame member at the upper end of plate 15., the spring13 passing a short distance below said pin and having a pivotalconnection thereto throu h connection by clips 17 to a meniber 18pivotally suspended fro said pin 16. it member 18 is pivotally suspendedon a pin 19 projecting outwardly from the lower end of plate 15 and thespring 1a is connected at itsmiddle to the member 18 by clips 20 asshown.

A spring suspension of the character described is of advantage in manyparticulars. By reason of the connection of the springs at their centersto the pivotally suspended members 18 and 18 a great degree offlexibility in the spring action is obtained which permits service ofthe springs under the many various conditions met in automobile drivingwithout the development of undue strains present in springs heretoforemade. Furthermore by reason of the construction outlined, when thesprings are depressed centrally under a load applied to the body thelengthening of the sprmgs causes a Patented dam-1dr taro.

forward pivotal movement. of the links 8 and 9 and at the same timemovement of less extent of members 18 and 18 about the pins 16 and 19,thus making in edect a double spring of twice the width of a singlespring 13 or 14L with the consequent greater flexibili'ty coupled withnecessary strength which is not so with a single spring having the samestrength asthe two springs 13 and'lt but of greater thiclnness thaneither. There, also, is a din'erence in movement of the two springswhereby the rebound of the springs is in a measure counteracted thusserving to eliminate sharp shocks ordinarily present in automobiledriving. Furthermore as before stated this construction of springsuspension Tilt eliminates side sway of the body and permits doing awaywith torsion rods or the likein the vehicle; and practically insuresagainst anybreakage so far as the spring suspension is concerned thatwill place the vehicle in such condition that it cannot be run at all,by reason of the fact that there are four springs, two on each side ofthe chassis frame, the breakage of any one of which still leaves threesprings in service to carry the body and resist the tendency of the rearaxle housing to turn. The divergence of the springs at their rear andtheir approach toward each other at their front ends makes aparticularly effective torsion resisting construction and the attachmentof the springs at their centers to the chassis frame in effect,eliminates, to a great measure, the objectionable endwise movement between the axle and the body of the vehicle.

I claim:

1. In a spring suspension for motor vehicles, the combination with aside frame member, rear axle housing and brake flange, of a platesecured to said frame member, an upper leaf spring pivotally securedbetween its ends to the plate a member pivotally suspended from theplate, a lower leaf spring connected between its ends to the member,studs on the brake flange above and below the rear axle housing to whichthe rear ends of the upper and lower springs are respectively connected,a second plate secured to the frame member in front of said first plate,and upper and lower linkscpivotally supported on said plate to .whichthe forward ends of the upper and lower springs are respectivelyconnected.

n a spring suspension for motor vehicles, the combination with a chassisframe, rear axle housing and brake flange, of a stud projecting from theframe, a plate connected to and suspended from the frame below the stud,a stud projecting from the lower end of the plate, a member pivotallysuspend from each stud, upper and lower leaf springs secured betweentheir ends to said members below the said studs, upper and lower studsprojecting from the brake flange to which the rear ends of the upper andlower leaf springs are respectively connected, a second plate fixed tothe frame in front of said first plate, upper and lower pins projectingfrom said last plate, and links pivotally suspended from the pins, tothe lower ends of which the forward ends of the upper and lower leafsprings are respectively connected, said springs diverging rearwardlyfrom their points of connection to said links.

3. In a spring suspension for motor vehicles, the combination with aside frame mem ber, rear axle housing and brake flange, of upper andlower leaf springs connected at their rear ends to the brake flange atsubstantially diametrically opposed points above memo? and below therear axle housing, a plate permanently attached to the frame memberadjacent the forward ends of said springs, link connections between theforward ends of the springs and the plate, said springs divergingrearwardly, a second plate mounted on the frame member back of the firstplate, means for pivotally connecting one spring between its ends tosaid side frame member, and means for pivotally connecting the otherspring between its ends to said second plate.

4. In a spring suspension for motor vehicles, the combination with aside frame member, rear axle housing and brake flange, of upper andlower leaf springs connected at their rear ends to the brake flange atsubstantially diametrically opposed points above and below the axlehousing and adjacent the ed es of said flangewhereby said rear ends ofthe springs are separated a comparatively wide distance, means formovably suspending the forward ends of the springs on the frame withsaid ends separated a shorter distance than the rear ends of saidsprings, a plate rigidly connected to the frame between the ends of thesprings, pivotal connections between the upper spring at a point betweenits ends and said frame member, a member pivotally suspended from thelower end of the plate and connections between said member and the lowerspring.

5. In a spring suspension for motor vehicles, the combination with aside frame member, rear axle housing and brake flange, of upper andlower leaf springs connected at their rear ends,to said brake flangeabove and below the axle housing, respectively, a. plate fixedly securedto the frame member adjacent the front ends of said springs, linkconnections between said plates and the 105 front ends of the springs, aplate secured to the frame between the ends of the springs,

a pivotal connection between said frame member and the upper spring, anda pivotal connection between the plate and the lower 110 spring.

6. In a motor vehicle, and brake flange, a spring pivotally connectedbetween its ends to the frame member, a plate connected to the framemember, a sec- 115 0nd spring pivotally suspended between its ends fromsaid plate, separate pivotal connections between the front ends of thesprings and the frame member, and connections between the rear ends ofsaid springs 120 and the brake flange, said connections being adjacentthe periphery of the brake flange whereby the rear ends of the springsare widely separated compared to the distance between the front ends ofsaid springs.

7. In a motor vehicle, having a side frame member and brake flange,upper and lower springs connected at their rear ends to the brake flangeadjacent the periphery thereof, and at their front ends to the framemember; 130

a frame member,

a plate connected to the frame member be tween the ends of the upperspring, means pivotally securing said upper spring to the frame memberat a point between the ends of said spring, and means similarlypivotally connecting the lower spring to the plate.

8. In a motor vehicle, a brake flange and chassis frame member, upperand lower leaf springs having movable suspended connection at theirfront ends to the frame member and fixed connections at their rear endsto the brake flange adjacent the periphery thereof, means for pivotallysecuring the upper spring between its ends to the frame 15 member, andmeans for pivotally connecting the lower spring between its ends to saidframe member. 7

9. lfn a motor vehicle, a chassis frame member, rear axle and a brakeflange, upper and lower springs located alongside the frame member andfixedly connected at their rear ends to the brakefiange at points aboveand below the axle, and at their front ends having movable suspendedconnections to the frame member, said springs diverging from front torear, and means for separately pivotally connecting each spring betweenits ends to the frame member.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature.

WALTER S. AUSTIN.

